Supporting plane



C. DORNIER.

SUPPORTING PLANE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1920.

. 1 jagg yp q?" Y Patented Aug. 29, 1922.,

' Inventor:

UNE'HED STATES PATENT orsics.

CLAUDIUS DORNIER, OF 'FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TODORNIER, METALLCBAUTEN, GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG,

OF FRIEDRICHSHAIEEN, GERMANY.

SUPPORTING ELAN E.

amas.

Application filed June 28,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAUDIUS DORNIER, acitizen of the German Empire, residing at Friedrichshafen, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Supporting Planes (forwhich I have filed an application in Germany June 17, 1918), of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to flying machines and more especially. to aspecially simple type of supporting planes particularly suitable formanufacture on a large scale.

In accordance with the foregoing, the subj ect matter of my inventionrelates to a supporting plane for flying machinesconsisting of a centralhollow body, constructed after the manner of a box girder, and bagshapedfront and rear members suitable for being manufactured separately andindependently of each other, and, after their completion, of being fixedto the said box girder. By the peculiar subdivision into a supportingcentral member, and two outside members, subjected to less strain andessentially only serving to conduct and dismiss the air, theconstruction of the said supporting plane is rendered specially simple;for each of the said three parts may, as said, be made separately, andall three may then readily be assembled to form a complete supportingplane. Moreover, in the caseof defects, the frontmember, or say, therear member, may, when damaged, be easily exchanged. The method ofstaying or stiffening by aid of wires, or the like, may be done awaywith in the case of this improved construction, as the light jointmembers may be fixed along their whole length immediately 'tothe centralmember, say for example, by

riveting or screwing on. The manufacturing process will prove especiallyfavorable, provided the central member, constituting a boxgirder,consists of an upper and a lowersolid plate having an intermediatesupport composed of a plurality of longitudinal girders running acrossthe full breadth of the supporting plane, along with a plurality oftransverse ribs arranged intermediately, and provided also the pocketshaped front and rear members consist each of a frame of pressed sheetiron, of a cross-section offering the least possible resistance to theair, across the large recesses of which, reinforced by being fianged,there isdrawn a thin cover composed of cloth, paper, or the like. Forthe better maintaining of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

1920. sc im No. 392,553.-

shape of the joint members, spars may advaptageously be inserted atregular interva s.

The central hollow body, forming a box girder may further be providedwith spars on to the free ends of which the bag-shaped front or rearmembers, reinforced at regular intervals by means of independent spars,may be slipped on.

The preferred form of a supporting plane according to my presentinvention is 111118- trated in the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis specification. In the draw- 1ngs- F i 1 is a vertical section alongline 1--1 in Fig. 2 of a supporting plane;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same along line 22 in l.

Figs. 3 to 5 are vertical sections along lines 33, 4-4, 55,respectively, in Fig. l of, respectively, the front, central, and rearportions of asupporting plane.

The central member of the supporting plane consists of two outer,longitudinal sheet iron girders a a each of which is constructed to forma hollow frame, and which, when assembled, constitute a selfsupportingbox girder by aid of sheet iron wall portions a, which act as ribs, andoutside plates A, which serve as chords. Both the longitudinal girders aa, as also the ribs or, are provided with circular indent-ures, partlybeaded at the edges. The central portions of the ribs or are provided ontop and at bottom with an indenture each through which the rods a of thelattice work girder, dividing the box girder practically into a forwardand rearward chamber, are passed. Beyond the longitudinal girder a theribs (1 are continued in the shape of front ribs or. riveted to thegirder a".

The front member of the supporting plane consists of a pressed sheetiron frame B, open, baglike, in the direction of the central member,having on top and at bottom indentures b reinforced by headings. Atregular intervals there are inserted plates 5 essentially resembling theribs a and serving to maintain the shape, respectively, to stay theindependent front member. This latter, when assembling the supportingplane, is slipped on to the ribs a, fixed to the central member, in suchwise that the said ribs and the plates 71 are caused to alternate insuccession. The manner of securing the parts is efiected by the rims ofllltl the plates 6 which face the central member, being riveted orscrewed to the front longitudinal girder a the upper and lower edges ofthe ribs (0* being fastened in a like manner to the cover B of theframe.

The rear portion of the supporting plane, consists of a sheet metalframe G, likewise open after the manner of a bag in the direc tion ofthe central member, while its upper and lower sides are provided withlarge indentures 0 Stiflening plates 0 resembling ribs, serve, on theone hand, to maintain the shape of the structure, and onthe other, tosecure the rear member to the longitudinal girder a of the centralmember.

After the three single parts, primarily constructed per se, have beencombined to form the complete supporting plane, the front and rearportions or their indentures, respectively, are covered with aplaincover of cloth, paper, or the like, for the purpose of guiding theair.

Apartfrom this cover, the entire supporting plane may be made of metal,without thereby becoming heavier in weight than the supporting planeshitherto in use which are made of wood and of a lattice work withcontinuously arranged ribs and cross beams.

I claim 1. In a, supporting surface in combination,

a main supporting portion forming a box girder and separate front andrear portions adapted to be fixed thereto and serving mainly for guidingthe air, said front and rear portions being formed each of a pressedsheet metal frame bent into shape and adapted to be connected with saidmain portion by its free edges.

2. In a supporting surface in combination, a main supporting portionforming a box girder and separate front and rear-portions adapted to befixed thereto and serving mainly for guiding the air, said front andrear portions being formed each of a pressed sheet metal frame bent intoshape, flanged indentures provided in said frames and a skin of suitablethin material covering said indentures.

3. In a supporting surface in combination, a main supporting portionforming a box girder .and separate front and rear portions adapted to befixed thereto and serving mainly for guiding the air, said front andrear portions being formed each of a pressed sheet metal frame bent intoshape and bent spars serving to stiffen said frames and to connect themwlthsaid main portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

oLAUDiUs DORNIER.

